September 30 Deadline to enter the Alfie Dog Fiction International Short Story Prize. First prize is publication of a collection of short stories for the winner (including editorial support for completion) plus £200, five copies of the paperback and royalties on all future sales. Details can be found at http://alfiedog.com/competitions/

“Gold Country Wordsmiths,” a fledgling authors and writers group, meets every Wednesday at 10:00am at the Depoe Bay Coffee Co, 893 High Street, Auburn, CA. GCWordsmith.com

Northern California events:

Whether or not you’re interested in the conference, sign up for San Francisco Writers Conference newsletter here. The newsletter is loaded with event information for California Writers Club branches across northern California. The following events were listed in the SFWC newsletter:

Contests & Writing opportunities:

Tethered by Letters’ Summer 2015 Literary Contest

We are currently accepting submissions for our short story contest (1,000 to 7,500 words, open genre), flash fiction contest (55, 250, or 500 words), and poetry contest (max of three pages per poem). TBL strives to publish writers with engaging stories, vivid characters, and fresh writing styles. All winners will be published in F(r)iction. All finalists will receive free professional edits on their submission and be considered for later publication. The prizes are $500 (USDA) for the short story winner, $150 (USDA) for the flash fiction winner, and $150 (USDA) for the poetry winner. Winners will be announced publicly in August. Multiple entries accepted. International submissions welcome. Good luck to all our authors!

We are currently accepting short stories of any genre ranging from 1,000 to 7,500 words. The short story contest winner will be published in F(r)iction. Five finalists will be considered for subsequent journal publications or a TBL online monthly feature. Each finalist will also receive free professional edits on their submission. International submissions welcome.

We are currently accepting flash fiction submissions of 55, 250, or 500 words in length. The flash fiction contest winner will be published in F(r)iction. Three finalists will be considered for subsequent quarterly journal publications or a TBL online monthly feature. Each finalist will also receive free professional edits on their submission. International submissions welcome.

We are currently accepting poetry submissions of all genres and styles—from traditional form to free verse. Length requirements are no more than three pages per poem, single-spaced with double spacing between stanzas. The poetry contest winner will be published in F(r)iction. Three finalists will be considered for subsequent quarterly journal publications or a TBL online monthly poetry feature. Each finalist will also receive free professional edits on their submission. International submissions welcome.